What Kansas City Chiefs' move to sign TE Irv Smith Jr. in NFL free agency might signal about the future

The Kansas City Chiefs are set to sign their first outside free agent, snagging former Alabama TE Irv Smith Jr. from the Cincinnati Bengals on a one-year deal. 

This isn't exactly the type of move that will blow Chiefs Kingdom away, as Smith Jr. is looking at becoming the team's third-string tight end at best behind Travis Kelce and Noah Gray. His signing could prove to be nothing more than competitive depth for the offseason like the Ricky Seals-Jones move back in 2020. His reported $1.3 million deal suggests as much. At the same time, there is quite a bit of upside here. Smith Jr. is only 25 years old and has 21 career games of starting experience under his belt. 

What does this signing mean for Kansas City at its best and does it signal anything about the offense moving forward? Let's explore below.

What we know about Irv Smith Jr.

Smith is considered a bit undersized at the tight end position, listed at 6-foot-2 and 240 pounds. For that reason, he hasn't frequently been used as a traditional in-line blocker in recent seasons. He's had less than 100 total blocking snaps in each of his past two seasons, but in his first two years with Minnesota, he was used more frequently and effectively as a blocker. 

This probably can't be considered a 1-to-1 replacement for pending free agent Blake Bell. Smith is more of a H-Back type, who can align on the wings in the backfield. He could even wind up playing some fullback for Andy Reid.

He's no slouch as a receiver, though he has no single season with over 365 yards receiving. In his four seasons in the NFL, Smith has 109 receptions for 979 yards and 10 touchdowns. His value as a receiver seems to come from the variety of different spots that he can align, especially once you get into red zone territory. 

At worst, he's another weapon offense to pair with those you already have. 

"With Travis Kelce there and the great offense that they have, you can never go wrong with more weapons," Smith Jr. told former Chiefs Wire writer Robert Rimpson at the 2019 NFL Scouting Combine. 

What does this move signal about the Chiefs' plans on offense in 2024? 

Having three capable tight ends might be more important for the Chiefs than any other team in the NFL, at least that's what the end of last season told us.

During the 2023 NFL season, the Chiefs came out in a 13-personal alignment (one RB and three TEs) on 7.4% of their offensive snaps. That number more than doubled during the postseason and they finished the NFL season as the league leader in percentage of 13 personnel snaps at over 10%. 

While they often leaned on Isiah Pacheco in these looks, K.C. also led the league in the percentage of passes thrown out of 13 personnel (43%). That's easy to accomplish when you have Travis Kelce on your team.

It also speaks to the cheat code that the Chiefs have found in 13 personnel. When you have to prepare for the freight train that is Pacheco, you force defenses into an impossible personnel decision. Do you leave the lighter personnel on the field to defend tight ends who run routes like receivers, or do you get the big bodies in the game to try and defend the run?

The addition of Smith could only make that personnel grouping more efficient for Kansas City. Even if his signing doesn't work out, it shows that the team is looking for upgrades there. This move certainly wouldn't preclude the team from selecting a tight end they liked in the 2024 NFL draft, but it raises the floor and creates competition in the room.